Please help us get Desiree Simons back on the road after a car accident destroyed her wheelchair-accessible van and adaptive driving equipment. **An anonymous donor has generously pledged to match funds raised by this campaign! **

Our longtime friend Desiree “Des” Simons was born with spina bifida. As a result, she lives with chronic pain due to severe scoliosis, and she needs a power wheelchair for mobility. Last November, Des was in a car wreck. Her right arm was badly broken, requiring surgery, then a cast for 8 weeks. Her arm has mostly healed, so she has 2 working limbs again! However, her specially-equipped van was a total loss.

Needing to use a heavy motorized wheelchair means that Des can’t simply catch a ride with a friend or neighbor to go to a doctor’s appointment, the grocery store, or...well...anywhere. A lift-equipped vehicle is required.

New vans with the adaptive equipment Des needs to operate them can cost $90,000 or more! Used vehicles average $50,000! Des is 63 years old and subsists on SSDI and income from teaching one or two online community college courses per semester. The cost to replace her van is well beyond her means.

If we can raise $25,000, then with the matching funds pledged by an anonymous benefactor, Des will be in a position to buy a used minivan, such as the one pictured.

Currently, the only transportation option available to Des is Special Transit (lift-equipped vans or buses) that can be scheduled for medical needs only. Unfortunately, even this limited service has proven to be very inconvenient and unreliable, resulting in missed important medical appointments. For Des, lockdown has continued for months after Covid restrictions were lifted for the rest of us.

Please consider contributing to this GoFundMe campaign to help offset the cost of a lift-equipped van. Any amount will be gratefully accepted and very much appreciated!

With our sincerest thanks,

Dave and Jackie